WhatISee

hello i just wanted to kind of leave a comment on your obsevartions, ive had a house on the road thats completely dirt where you make a left at the end of reeds beach ave. yes they have gotten really strict about not walking down the beach during certain parts of the year due to the birds migrating and all the horseshoe crabs, all the houses are very very unique and exciting and the reason my why my side of the road is so messed up is because during a full moon at night the road gets flooded deep enough that ive seen people canoing in the road and you absolutely must move your car all the way down the road or you're doomed. i own the house that is third from the left. yes we do get a million of different types of birds by father has a huge bird book where he marks down every single different bird he has seen down here. well i just wanted to comment on your findings, thanks

-Erin

thanks for the comment! I really enjoyed wandering around down there. it's clearly a special place

My grandparents owned a house in Reed's beach and I remember it well as I was growing up. Unfortunally, It was washed away during a Hurricane, but we still own the property. What a great place to visit for some peace a quiet, fishing, crabbing, etc. The people were wonderful.

The second house listed is our house. You should see it now ! It's still on stilts, but is completely re-done into a new cape cod.

Thank you for the beautiful photos and comments about Reeds Beach. We had a house there while I was growing up. I spent entire summers there, barefoot, swatting greenhead flies and playing horshoe crab hospital, where we would tend to the unfortunate ones that had flipped over and were being attacked by seagulls. Back then. a large general store marked the entrance to the beach portion of the road. I recently returned there with my daughter and found that our beach house still stands and has been remodeled to look better than ever. Sadly, the beach itself has undergone extensive erosion and without some future restoration of it, I fear it will eventually disappear. I am glad that it has been at last noticed for its ability to supply migratory birds with sustinence as they travel their routes. Perhaps those who go there to observe them will lobby for funding. I hope so.

i spend weekends at reeds beach all summer. its heaven on earth, when you walk the jetty at midnight on a windy night. the creek and marsh with cranes and tallgrass is one of the best views out of the back of my house.

You did a wonderful coverage of our Beach Community. I like to believe that it is the hidden paradise of the New Jersey Shore. Half way between Wildwood and Stone Harbor, away from the crowds, seashore living the way it was years ago. We have the house second from the end on
South Beach Avenue. We love our home,and of course respect our Beaches. We would love for the government to take care of this road and the beach. It is smaller every year, and the birds
get fewer every year. In the world we live in,
with wars, violence, etc. This is a place of peace, and beauty. I would hope we can maintain
this Wonderful Beach of old.
Thanks for your observations.
Eileen R

Clearly one of the most fascinating little places I've ever stumbled upon. More like Alabama than New Jersey. The feel is real America, not the synthetic America we're being subjected to more and more. I hope it continues on just as it is. It's a treasure and should be treated as such. Places like this are disappearing as fast as strip malls and convenience stores are appearing. Why are there fewer migratory birds along the flyway?

I grew up there,during the seventies and eighties, spending my summers with my grandparents.I remember fishing in the front of the house.Buying penny candy at Sadies general store.Back then it was not as popular for bird watching and thier were no beach restrictions.I'am glad to see that more people are enjoying such a great place.

LOOKS LIKE A GREAT PLACE AWAY FROM EVERY DAY LIFE . FISHING CRABBING AND RELAXATION. DO ANY OF YOU LOCALS KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY HOUSES OR PROPERTY FOR SALE??? PLMK JOHN

i was wondering if any houses are for rent during the summer? please let me know.

I live on Beach Drive and enjoy the pace and rural atmosphere. Two weeks ago my neighor and his wife spotted a pair of otters swimming under my deck. They were able to get some pics. I haven't seen them yet but its just another suprise and delight.
The weather during some of our winter storms can truly be frightening as well as damaging but the good days are well worth the angst.

In 1926 my grandfather, T. Deacon, built a house at Reed's Beach. He had collected old pallets thrown out by the Wellsback Company in Gloucester City,NJ. My father packed the pallets on his Model A Ford and drove them and my grandfather to Reed's Beach. It was a 12 hour drive through Bridgeton. Two of my uncles helped with the building process. The house had one large room lined with cots and a table that could seat 16.There was a small porch on the bay side, and the small kitchen was in the back, close to the road. The original bathroom was an outhouse. Cooking was done on a three burner kerosene stove. The beach had about one hundred fifty feet of sand at that time.(We have photos of this). Family members came down on the weekends.
When my grandfather passed away in 1933, the house was passed on to my parents. My brother,sister, and I were driven down every Saturday night, and returned on Monday night. We swam, fished,and went crabbing. We bought penny candy at the General Store. I am now surprised to see the land that the store occupied covered by a huge mansion whose pylons prevent any fire truck from turning left onto Beach Drive.
In the forties there was a water pump at the general store. After the hurricane of Sept.12, 1944, it was the only source of water we had while my father and uncles jacked up the house and put it back on the pylons after the storm had lifted it and tilted it against the house next door. My sister and I carried blocks of ice from the store down to the house so that the food would stay good while the men were repairing the damage rendered by the great storm. Today the storm would be listed as a catagory three huricane.
My nephew now owns the house, the third from the south end, and family members still have a wonderful time on summer weekends, especially at high tide when diving from the dock is possible.
All we need now is for the state to blow in some sand so the beach houses don't end up being on an island.

I really appreciate the wildlife and preservation aspects of Reeds Beach. I'll be retiring soon. Is there a trailer park in the area? It would be a wonderful thing to retire near the ocean, yet away from the commercial areas. Thanks,

I've driven through Reed's Beach on a couple different occasions and I absolutely love it. I first discovered it last fall while just driving around aimlessly and going down different roads. I just went back this past weekend. We used to vacation in Sea Isle City every year since I was a kid, and I always wanted to have a house in SIC. But it's become so crowded lately, and I guess as I get older I gravitate more towards the peaceful places like Reed's Beach. I would love to have a house there. Maybe someday :).

To the person who asked if there are properties for sale, the answer is yes, there are. When I went through this past weekend there were a number of houses for sale. Also, I found this on the web: http://www.vrbo.com/81285

My husband and I have lived on Reeds Beach Rd (the street leading to the beach road) for 14 years. Our house is situated on a slightly elevated spit of land (kind of a cedar knoll) in the middle of the meadow. The year we bought our house, there was an incredible rain storm. At high tide (and it was a moon tide to boot) the water rose so high that we couldn't leave the house without waders on. There were actually white caps on the waves that lapped at our foundation. Thankfully, we haven't had tides that high since.
The shorebird migration is indeed a sight to see and a sound to hear! At the peak of horseshoe crab landing, the sound of the birds is deafening. It's a beautiful noise but sad at the same time because it marks the start of warm weather and an influx of summer neighbors. There is nothing quite as peaceful as a walk along the beach road on a winter night when the bay is frozen and the moon is full. Ahhh . . . Heaven.

Just curious if the any of the people who have or had houses in Reeds Beach have any old pictures of the beach, general store, etc.? My family has owned property along Reeds Beach Road for generations but unfortunately not many of the old pictures of the beach have survived. Would love to have copies of any of the old pictures. Thanks!!